Australia's worst drivers ranked by state

LET the arguments begin over who are Australia's worst drivers and crash test dummies.

Motorists in NSW and Victoria have more nose-to-tail crashes than drivers in the rest of the country, representing one in five insurance claims in their state.

The staggering results come despite an increasing number of new vehicles being equipped with automatic emergency braking, which slams on the brakes in bumper-to-bumper traffic if the driver is not paying attention.

Drivers in South Australia top the charts for car park accidents (19 per cent of insurance claims in the state) and crashing in reverse (18 per cent).

One in four insurance claims in West Australia and Queensland is for a broken windscreen, also attributed to driving too close to the car in front.

The high number of nose-to-tail crashes comes despite an increasing number of cars equipped with automatic emergency braking. Picture: Supplied.

Meanwhile Victoria leads the tally for crashes in which drivers have failed to give way (13 per cent of claims in the state), ahead of NSW (11 per cent), South Australia (10 per cent) and West Australia and Queensland (both 8 per cent).

The statistics drawn from more than 400,000 claims lodged with insurer Allianz over the past three years show about one in seven drivers make a claim each year, but the leading causes of crashes differs from state to state.

However, the figures show tailgating is a primary cause of crashes over the summer break.

"Coming into the holiday season with more people on the road it's especially important for drivers to take extra precautions to ensure they get to their destinations safely, said Leanne Hendry, the general manager for motor insurance at Allianz.

"This is especially true in heavy traffic when motorists may be tempted to drive too closely to the car in front of them."

More cars in the future will be able to prevent low-speed rear-end crashes. Photo: Joshua Dowling

The nose-to-tail crash data is for cars that have been rear-ended and those that have run into the back of other cars. The insurer says the split for each type of claim is about 50:50.

The company said the high rate of windscreen damage in Queensland and West Australia could be attributed the debris on vast outback roads.

"Outback roads are more prone to loose gravel or debris, which can fly up into a vehicle's windscreen and cause chips and cracks," said Hendry. "Most airborne rocks or gravel come from the vehicle in front, so it's important that drivers stay safe distance."

See how your state rates for insurance claims:

NSW:

Nose-to-tail crashes: 19 per cent

Damage while parked: 15 per cent

Broken windscreen: 15 per cent

Reversing accident: 13 per cent

Fail to give way: 11 per cent

Victoria:

Nose-to-tail crashes: 23 per cent

Damage while parked: 17 per cent

Reversing accident: 14 per cent

Fail to give way: 13 per cent

Broken windscreen: 12 per cent

Queensland:

Broken windscreen: 25 per cent

Nose-to-tail crashes: 17 per cent

Reversing accident: 15 per cent

Damage while parked: 14 per cent

Fail to give way: 8 per cent

South Australia:

Damage while parked: 19 per cent

Reversing accident: 18 per cent

Nose-to-tail crashes: 17 per cent

Broken windscreen: 13 per cent

Fail to give way: 10 per cent

West Australia:

Broken windscreen: 27 per cent

Damage while parked: 17 per cent

Reversing accident: 15 per cent

Nose-to-tail crashes: 15 per cent

Fail to give way: 8 per cent

Source: Allianz Insurance, percentage of motor claims in each state, 2015 to 2017.